The invention relates to a garment, and particularly but not exclusively to a garment suitable for protecting a wearer from the effects of immersion in cold water.
Survival suits are worn to improve the chances of survival of the wearer in a hazardous water environment, for example in the case of an occupant of a helicopter which has ditched at sea.
In other situations, for example on an oil rig at sea where workers are expected to work over the side of the rig, survival suits are cumbersome and impede normal operation. In such cases, there is a tendency to wear lifejackets only. Lifejackets provide buoyancy and protect the airways, but they provide little or no protection against the effects of cold water immersion.
According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a garment suitable for wearing under a layer of clothing, the garment being configured whereby movement of a wearer is substantially unrestricted, and the garment being formed of a substantially waterproof material.
The garment may be a survival garment.
The garment may be suitable for wearing over a layer of clothing. Preferably the garment is a one-piece suit. The garment may be in the form of a close fitting suit. Further, the garment may be suitable for wearing as an intermediate dry suit.
The garment may comprise one or more portions. The garment preferably comprises a torso portion to cover the torso of the wearer, arm portions to cover the arms of the wear and leg portions to cover the legs of the wearer.
The portion or portions may consist of one or more parts. The part or parts may be configured such that movement of the wearer is substantially unrestricted. In one embodiment, each arm portion consists of one arm section. The torso portion may consist of a front torso section and a back torso section. The leg portions may consist of a front leg section and a back leg section. The front leg section may comprise an upper front leg section, a knee sectoion and a lower front leg section.
In another embodiment, each arm portion consists of a main sleeve section and an end sleeve section. A single main body part may be provided for each leg portion and one side of the torso portion. A neck portion may be provided to extend around the neck and be attached to each main body part and each are part.
The garment may be provided with sealing means at the end of the arm portions, and the neck portion, for preventing water from entering the inside of the garment when in use. In one embodiment sealing means may be provided at the end of the leg portion. The sealing means may be integrally formed with the garment. The sealing means may be attached to the garment by sewing and/or gluing and/or taping and/or heat treatment. The sealing means preferably comprise fittings which fit closely to the skin of the wearer. The fittings may comprise skin-tight fittings such as cuffs and/or sleeves. In this way the garment is made water-tight. In another embodiment, each leg portion may include a sock to be received over a foot of the wearer.
The skin-tight fittings may be made from an elastic material. The elastic material may comprise a high stretch elastomer. The high stretch elastomer may be coated with a material of a low friction for allowing easy donning and doffing of the garment.
The garment may be provided with a sealable opening for donning and doffing of the garment. The opening may be sealable by means of a waterproof zip. The zip may be provided on the garment in such a way as to enable the wearer to open and seal the opening. In one embodiment, the opening may be provided on the garment such that when the opening is sealed, the zip partially surrounds the neck portion and extends to the front of the garment. In another embodiment, the opening may be provided on the garment such that the zip extends around the torso portion, preferably in a helical or corkscrew manner. The advantage of these arrangements of the zip is that it does not impede mobility and comfort of the wearer.
The zip may be integrally formed with the garment. The zip may be provided on the torso portion. The zip may be provided on the front torso part and the back torso part. The zip may be attached to the garment by means of sewing and/or gluing and/or taping and/or heat treatment.
The material may be selected such as to protect the wearer of the garment from cold shock and protect the wearer against immersion hypothermia. The material may be breathable. The material may also be thermally insulated to prevent the wearer from losing heat. The garment may be formed of a lightweight material. The material may be a laminated material.
The laminated material may comprise at least two layers, preferably three layers. The laminated material may comprise an outer layer, an intermediate layer and an inner layer, the inner layer being adapted to be worn closest to the wearer. The intermediate layer may comprise a substantially water-proof membrane, which may be breathable. In one embodiment, the intermediate layer is formed from a synthetic material suitably a fluorocarbon membrane, for example a polytetrafluoroethylene membrane. The outer layer may comprise of a material suitable for protecting the intermediate layer against external abrasion. The outer layer may be formed of a suitable synthetic material, for example, a polyester or nylon, or polychal. The outer layer is preferably formed by knitting, and is advantageously fire retardant.
The inner layer may consist of a material having thermal insulating properties to prevent the wearer from losing heat. The thermal insulating material may consist of a fleece material, for example a polyester fleece material.
According to another aspect of this invention there is provided a survival garment formed of a material comprising a first insulating layer and a second water-resistant layer, the garment being so constructed that the first layer is intended to be arranged closest to the wearer.
The second layer is preferably substantially waterproof, thereby preventing the passage of liquid water therethrough.
Preferably, the second layer is a material capable of allowing the passage of water vapour therethrough, but substantially preventing the passage of liquid water therethrough. Such a material is generally known in the art as breathable.
Preferably, the garment includes a third layer arranged on the opposite face of the second layer to the first layer, the third layer being suitable for protecting the second layer, for example from damage or abrasion.
The first layer may be formed of a fleece material, for example a polyester fleece material. The second layer may be in the form of a membrane, wherein the membrane is preferably breathable. A suitable such membrane is one formed from a fluorocarbon, for example polytetrafluoroethylene. The third layer may be formed from a synthetic material, for example polyester or nylon, and is preferably formed by knitting.
The garment may be formed from said parts being interconnected by sewing and/or gluing and/or heat treatment. The parts may be interconnected in such a way that the inner layers of each part are arranged in engagement with each other such that the respective inner layers engage each other and the edges face away from the wearer. The seam may be covered by a sealing member. The sealing member may comprise tape and/or hot melt adhesive tape. In this way it is achieved that seams of the garment are made waterproof, with the tape being applied to the outside layer of the garment.